Another Wedding Witnessed

For many years, we hosted my extensive side of the family for an annual Christmas gathering. With 30 family members, it was often a daunting prospect (given that hospitality is not my spiritual gift - my home is not a showcase home and my cooking skills leave much to be desired). While I enjoyed those festivities, we needed some time off, so we have curtailed our invitations. Thankfully, my oldest brother, David, filled the need for family contact because his three children, Kirsten, Eric, and Kari, were all slated for imminent marriage. We attended Kirsten's wedding to Keith in 2016, Kari's wedding to Clayton in 2017, and finally, Eric's wedding to Tabatha in early October of 2018.

I say "finally" because Eric and Tabatha dated for six years. As a children's librarian and a middle school teacher, they are a perfect match. At every Christmas gathering, a murmur arose questioning whether Eric had popped the question yet. I don't know if he was clinging to a plan or just needed a lengthier courtship, but when he finally proposed, he did it in style. Miriam, David's wife, is Scottish and they decided to take a family trip together to Scotland this summer.

While there, Eric and Tabatha hiked to the top of a mountain where he asked her to marry him. How perfect! How romantic!

(Photo by Tabatha)

We RSVPed for the four of us, all the while wondering whether Bryce would be able to get off work to accompany us. In the end, all plans shifted. Sean's team went undefeated and they scheduled the championship game on the same day as the wedding. Moreover, Trevor, with his broken leg, didn't relish the idea of attending a wedding on crutches (although I should say, I noticed a teenager among the guests who was not only on crutches, but also on two inch heels - her doctor would have shuddered, no doubt). Suddenly, it looked like I was on my own for a trip to a wedding in the Chicago suburbs. Thankfully, Bryce and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, decided to join me and even offered to do a majority of the driving (I only had to get to Purdue and back). I was grateful for a chance to spend time with Bryce and Elizabeth and for an opportunity to gather with my family members once again.

They had the same adorable flower girl from Kirsten's wedding:

(Photo by Evie Polsley)

The wedding party itself was huge, given the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen (16):

(Photo by Sam Arias)

What a joy to watch the bride enter and these two lives merge into one unit with a host of prayerful witnesses:

(Photo by Adrienne Morgan)

Great family photo, showing off Kirsten's delightful baby bump! Then it was on to the reception (they had intended an outdoor reception, but due to the possibility of rain, it was moved indoors):

We had a wonderful time around the table, reminiscing about dreadful college roommate experiences, hilarious teenaged hijinks (the time David attempted to jump over our parent's small vehicle and ended up landing on and cracking the windshield), and memories made in that wedding location back when my siblings and I were young (and still had hair - ha). Apologies for my horrible photo of my table-mates:

(Sibling photo by Bryce - sadly missing my sister, Dawn, because her employers wouldn't release her from a last minute meeting despite her airline ticket and hotel reservation in hand - we also missed my parents who were unable to make the trip north from Florida due to my mother's dementia.)

As we prepared to leave, Miriam suggested it might be my turn next to host a wedding and gather the family together. However, my older brother, Mark, has six kids (both older and younger than my own), so I'm thinking he might be next in line. Regardless of who pops a question next, I relish the idea of more opportunities to gather and wish these youngsters well as they set off to establish lives of their own. What a privilege to witness the precious initial moments of a covenant relationship! What joy to gather with family spread far and wide (IL, KY, TN, and WI)!